Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débâter

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of débâter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb débâter is “to debate” or “to discuss”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-bah-tay”.

Débâter comes from the Latin word “battuere”, meaning to beat or strike. In French, it has taken on the meaning of talking or arguing about something, often in a passionate or heated manner. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical situation in the past.

Three simple examples of débâter in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si nous avions débâté cette proposition, nous aurions évité ce conflit.
    (If we had debated this proposal, we would have avoided this conflict.)

  2. J’aurais aimé être là pour débâter de ces questions importantes avec vous.
    (I would have liked to be there to discuss these important issues with you.)

  3. Ils auraient dû débâter plus longuement avant de prendre une décision si importante.
    (They should have debated more thoroughly before making such an important decision.)

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of débâter

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais débâté Si j’avais vu ça, je l’aurais débâté. If I had seen that, I would have argued against it.
tu aurais débâté Tu aurais débâté la décision. You would have opposed the decision.
il aurait débâté Il aurait débâté avec son collègue. He would have debated with his colleague.
elle aurait débâté Elle aurait débâté pour son droit. She would have argued for her right.
on aurait débâté On aurait débâté sur les questions. One would have debated about the issues.
nous aurions débâté Nous aurions débâté ensemble. We would have argued together.
vous auriez débâté Vous auriez débâté avec passion. You would have passionately debated.
ils auraient débâté Ils auraient débâté sur le sujet. They would have argued about the topic.
elles auraient débâté Elles auraient débâté toute la nuit. They (female) would have argued all night.

Other Conjugations for Débâter.

    

    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb débâter
     

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter
     

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter
     

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter
     

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter
     

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter
     

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter
     

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter
     

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter
     

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter
     

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter  (this article)

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâter


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the débâter Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Débâter – About the French Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Passé” is a compound tense used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

Start with the conditional of the auxiliary verb: For most verbs, use “aurais” (for “avoir”) or “serais” (for “être”) as the conditional form. 

With “avoir”: j’aurais, tu aurais, il/elle/on aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils/elles auraient. 
With “être”: je serais, tu serais, il/elle/on serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils/elles seraient. 

Add the past participle of the main verb to this conditional form. 
For example, if you want to say “I would have done,” you would use “j’aurais fait.” If you want to say “She would have gone,” you would use “elle serait allée.”

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Unreal Past Scenarios

The Conditionnel Passé is often used to talk about actions that did not happen in the past, but you are speculating about what would have occurred if they had. It’s a way to discuss hypothetical situations in the past. 

Si j’avais su, je t’aurais aidé. (If I had known, I would have helped you.)
Il serait venu s’il avait eu le temps. (He would have come if he had had the time.) 

Polite Requests or Suggestions

It can be used to make polite requests or suggestions in the past. 

Pourriez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you have helped me, please?) 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

It can convey doubt or uncertainty regarding past events.

Il aurait peut-être oublié notre rendez-vous. (He might have forgotten our appointment.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Conditional Present

You can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional present to describe past actions that were hypothetical at the time they were spoken about. J’aurais aimé que tu m’appelles hier. (I would have liked you to call me yesterday.) 

Indicative Past Tenses

You might use the Conditionnel Passé alongside indicative past tenses like the passé composé to contrast hypothetical and real past events. Il est venu hier, mais s’il avait pu, il serait venu la semaine dernière. (He came yesterday, but if he could have, he would have come last week.) 

Conditional Future

In some cases, you can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional future to discuss unreal past events that could have consequences in the future. Si j’avais réussi mon examen, j’aurais un meilleur travail. (If I had passed my exam, I would have a better job.)

Summary

In summary, the Conditionnel Passé is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is often used in conjunction with other tenses to convey various nuances in French, allowing speakers to discuss imaginary past scenarios, make polite requests, or express doubt about past events.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb débâter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts